DDAL04-04 The Marionette (5e)

A Vistani fortuneteller has called you out by name during the Burgomaster’s private reading. She raved of an army of the dead, a delicate powderbox, and a beautiful yet dangerous woman. Now the Burgomaster wants to know why you’re more important than he is...

Part Four of Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts.

A Four-Hour adventure for 1st-4th level characters

Also included in the purchase of this adventure is a version specially converted for use with the Fantasy Grounds virtual tabletop software. The converted adventure features all the text and maps from the original adventure along with cross-linking of monsters, spells, magic items, equipment, and story elements, plus the powerful rules automation for which Fantasy Grounds is known.

Is it me, or does this say "Also included in the purchase of this adventure is a version specially converted for use with the Fantasy Grounds", however I cannot see how I download the .mod file? Thanks

Robert ASeptember 11, 2016 6:41 am UTC

The .mod file for FG is indeed included in the purchase. If you are having trouble receiving the file, you should contact a DMG admin. Also, if you purchased the adventure prior to the FG file being added, you should still be able to get it via an updated download.

Kevin SSeptember 12, 2016 5:42 pm UTC

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In case anyone else has the same issue:

Yes, I messaged customer service and they updated something. Now it is view-able as a download for me.

June 13, 2016 6:32 pm UTC

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It looks like there is a limit on characters for Reviews and Discussions, so I'll post this 3-star review here in multiple parts:

***DDAL04-04 The Marionette*** is the forth adventure for Season 4, which is also titled "Part Four of Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts". This review does contain spoilers, so please do not read below if you haven't played the adventure.

The Plot: The storyline was broken into four distinct parts that move the PCs relatively smoothly the adventure. Of the four, the first part (rescuing the lost boy) was the weakest as there was really very little for the party to do. In reality that encounter could have been eliminated and worked into the narrative of the adventure. The final three sections are a well-structured combination of role-playing, investigation, combat, and quick thinking that leads to a logical conclusion/confrontation.

The Villain: There is something to be said for killing the bad "guy" and saving little girl(s)....See more The final encounter was very challenging (if run correctly) and not the cake walks I've seen in other events.

Use of Isabella: The use of Isabella as a way to guide a struggling party was a good addition to the event. If the DM thinks the party is not going to have any hope of surviving the final encounter this plot twist can be used to balance back the scales to give them a chance. Too many adventures do their best to "knock down" the party so the odds of a TPK are higher for the final encounter. Considering the final "fight" can be back-to-back combats, using Isabella to help balance things works well.

June 13, 2016 6:32 pm UTC

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Editing: Once again, editing tops the list of things wrong with S4 events. As a player you continue to see your DM struggle through sentence descriptions, finding information on encounters, or even a basic understanding of what is going on. As a DM you can find yourself making things up on the fly because events are not clear or written poorly. The only thing that sets 4-4 apart from the other is a better plot that, to the untrained eye, covers it bad editing.

Evil Magic Item: For the record, I'm on the fence on this one since I personally benefited from it, but I've heard other players talk about it so I feel it is worth mentioning. The adventure's primary magic item reward has a hidden benefit -- if you're (lawful) evil the item is much more powerful. In the old Ravenloft if you found an "evil" magic item you either destroyed it for XP, or if you kept and used it there were some major drawbacks. For this item there are no repercussions, and since it is pointed at a small contingent of...See more players it may have been a poor choice.

Horror Check: The Marionette is the VERY FIRST use of horror check in Season 4, and actually the entire Curse of Strahd adventure book (if it is in there, it is well hidden). For those not familiar with Ravenloft 2E or 3E, a *horror check* is when a character is scared WAY beyond typical magically induced fear. In the adventure it is describe as, "Horror involves more than simple fright. It entails revulsion and anguish. Often it arises when adventurers see something completely contrary to the common understanding of what can and should occur in the world, or upon the realization of a dreadful truth." Think of it as 100 times worse than a fear spell that messes with your mind and body so much it could actually cause insanity and/or death.

June 13, 2016 6:33 pm UTC

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So, why is this bad? Because a horror mechanic in 4-4 is a Charisma check. Sorry, I could not disagree with that more. In 3E Ravenloft it was a Will save, and in 2E (I believe, not 100% sure since I don't have the books anymore) it was a fear or spell check, typically with a penalty. If you look at the ability score descriptions in the 5E PHB:

Wisdom: Wisdom reflects how attuned you are to the world around you and represents perceptiveness and intuition.

Charisma: Charisma measures your ability to interact effectively with others. It includes such factors as confidence and eloquence, and it can represent a charming or commanding personality.

Sorry, a horror check is closer to Wisdom, unless there is an official override on this from the Core Team. Having played Ravenloft for many years in the 80's and 90's I think having a Horror Check is a GREAT addition, but I cannot disagree with the presented mechanic more. The effect's chart was good though.

Adventure Length:...See more If certain choices (not necessarily bad ones) are made by the party, it is very difficult to play this whole adventure in less than 5 hours. Investigating the manor house alone (the final part) can easily be more than 50% of the adventure if the party goes door-2-door. The logical solution here would be to make one of the encounters optional based on time, but that's difficult since only the first encounter/part fits that mold. Because of this the DM is forced to use Isabella to move the adventure to the final needed encounters. By doing this there are other things in the manor (some potions, weapons, silver daggers, things like that) which are pretty much passed over. It would have been better to make the first encounter narrative (since nothing really happens), and begin player interactions at the Hospice to make more time for the ending. Every instance of 4-4 I've seen has either run max or over.

June 13, 2016 6:51 pm UTC

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The Story Line: The storyline for S4 is very confusing. Even the people running it mostly have questions what the overall plot is: what a "Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts" is, and exactly what "Esmae Amarantha’s Four Obsessions" is about. This reviewer has played all events through 4-11, and only THEN did our table FINALLY figure out what was going on for the season. While not in itself bad, it was an utter SHOCK to our DM who had only run one or two events of the season prior to that one. Even a paragraph at the beginning that said "Story so far ..." or something like that would help.

June 13, 2016 6:52 pm UTC

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"Dream" Skill Checks: Another mechanic that just does not work for me is the ad hoc "Constitution-swapped" skill checks you have to make in the Vistani vision. There was no need to do this, other than to make things more confusing for the players who occasionally already have a hard time with math. It would have been easier to have the players make a Constitution save of some sort whenever they wanted to do a skill (check), instead of this VERY confusing substitute. Like the horror check (above), this mechanic does not work. I blame the AL staff, who should have stepped in here and presented better alternatives.

Conclusion: Though not perfect, 4-4 is definitely better than anything before it in terms of a good, playable adventure plot. Some of the flaws (such as the time limit, poor editing, and the like) are left to be corrected by the DM so the players won't notice. The S4 storyline failures also bring this down a notch, unfortunately.

May 10, 2016 12:42 pm UTC

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Why is this adventure $3.99? Standard pricing so far this season with AL events has been $2.99, even for the pathetic 2-hour event DDAL04-03 The Executioner. Is it because the adventure has received some positive reviews that they can charge more? Is there something special about Robert Alaniz's body of work that he demands more money? I have spent $8.97 on the first three events this year, and without a doubt I feel like I've thrown my money down a toilet. Maybe 4-4 is better than its predecessors, but does that mean that OBS and WOTC can gouge us for more money? I see that there are spotty $3.99 and $4.99 prices in Season 1 and 2 ... why?

Jason PJuly 01, 2016 1:02 pm UTC

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I'm guessing it's because 4-4 is a four-hour adventure, while the previous two were two-hour ones.

Anthony LApril 20, 2016 8:13 pm UTC

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WAY better than the previous season 4 adventures. It's well written, and has some fun and interesting gameplay encounters that have been woefully missed in the prior modules. It still seems like these have little editing or playtesting (little things like repeating the Adjusting the Encounter section on pg18) but overall it's very playable out of the box, assuming you've endured the previous modules so that there is some background on the continuation of plot. Help us Robert A, you're our only hope!!

June 13, 2016 5:45 pm UTC

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I agree.

Robert AApril 16, 2016 4:06 am UTC

Wow.. Electrum status already. Glad this is doing well and I hope everyone enjoys it. This one was lots of fun to write.

April 14, 2016 7:49 pm UTC

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When you hover over this selection is shows there is 1 review, rated four stars, and no written reviews. If you're going to rate something leave a review of it so buyers know what you thought was good or bad. Not leaving a review makes people think you're doing it for a friend or no reason at all. Also, as a DM and potential "buyer" of an AL event I would really like to see reviews/comments from DMs only, not players or authors. Players are subject to what was presented, not written, and authors (sadly) are not bias.

Bottom Line Up Front: A very good adventure with spooky atmosphere. A few challenges in the writing mean the DM needs to read the whole thing and make some decisions before game time. This adventure has a lot going on, and will push your time ma [...]

This is a very fun, but long adventure. The hook can be pretty weak, especially if player’s haggle. This free gold adventure is good since they meet with the medicine woman before their vision quest. The vision quest is really fun since you can play [...]

A fun romp through a haunted-ish house with some creepy puppets. One of the best Tier 1 adventures in season 4. Pros:
The fight/fire-fighting in Orasnou is well-designed and tense.
Sandboxy "manor crawl" gives players plenty of meaning [...]

This module was by far one of my favorite to run and it was incredibly fun to play in. Each section of the module did a good job relating to the whole plot but also having it's own section which is really fun. I think the mechanics with choosing who or [...]

Recommend Purchase: Yes.
XP Range: 900-1,200 The overall story woven between all fourteen modules is called 'Misty Fortunes and Absent Hearts' and is relatively strong overall, but suffers for a couple reasons. The final module probably wasn't w [...]

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